The United States versus Costa Rica football (soccer) match was held on 22 March 2013 at the Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

[6] Both teams reached the match without victories in the Hexagonal, as the first matchday saw the United States lose 2–1 in Honduran soil and Costa Rica draw 2–2 as visitors against Panama.

[13] La Nación's Diego Ureña reported, at the end of the first half, that the field was threatening to the players' integrity, and that by the end of the 21st minute, after a missed chance by Costa Rican player Christian Bolaños, the game showed little actual football, highlighting the foul play and slips,[14] which coincides with Jorge Luis Pinto's description that "football-wise, the match can only be evaluated from its earlier twenty or twenty-five minutes.

[19] While recounting the minute-by-minute action of the match, Costa Rican newspaper Al Día indicated that the game "is being played under unsportsmanlike conditions," that "the ball is rolling very slowly," and "the snowfall is getting stronger.

"[17] Costa Rica had a goal disallowed on the 70th minute as Michael Umaña was caught offside,[17] while the United States were denied a penalty after Clint Dempsey was tripped on the box.

"[20] He also stated that referee Joel Aguilar "should be suspended, because he allowed this woesome spectacle to happen, and both Costa Rica and the people who attended the match to be insulted."

"[20] Forward Álvaro Saborío stated that "we know that, under normal conditions, they would not have beaten us," while goalkeeper Keylor Navas expressed his sadness for the decision, reprimanding the referee for "doing nothing" to stop the match.

"[19] Brad Guzan, DaMarcus Beasley, Jozy Altidore, and Herculez Gomez celebrated the victory and thanked the fans for their support, whereas Omar Gonzalez called the match "the craziest game I've ever played in my life!

In his arbitration analysis for Teletica Canal 7, former referee Ramón Luis Méndez was heavily critical of Joel Aguilar's handling of the match, particularly in his decision to resume it, as well as allowing personnel of the stadium to invade the pitch during the course of the game.

[30] CRHoy's Laura Salas questioned the legitimacy of FIFA's Fair Play campaign, and replicated Méndez declarations that "if there had been rules, this match would have been suspended.

[40] Jamaican newspaper The Jamaica Star pointed that the fans were also booing and chanting "hijo de puta" (son of a bitch) during the Fair Play anthem, and also noted the usage of English signs as a way of insulting both FIFA and its president Sepp Blatter despite Costa Rica being a Spanish-speaking country.

"[44] Costa Rica and the United States would face each other once again as part of a 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage match, which saw the Americans earn a new victory thanks to a goal by Brek Shea.

[45] La Nación's Randall Corella commented that "there was no revenge, but rather another blow to the heart" and that the loss "only pumps that feeling of wanting to defeat the Americans on September 6th.

[48] During the following months after the Snow Clásico, the Costa Rican Football Federation contemplated moving the match to the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá,[49] given the stadium's bad reputation among American players for its hostile environment.

[59] MLSSoccer informed that, the day before the match, Jurgen Klinsmann was interrupted during a post-training interview by a man in a cow suit (specifically as Lula, the mascot of Costa Rican dairy products company Dos Pinos) who was blowing a horn nearby.

[60] Instants before the match, the fans who filled the Estadio Nacional to capacity booed the American anthem, for which FIFA imposed a fine of over $13,000 to the Costa Rican Football Federation.

[67] This leadership, however, would only last four days as Costa Rica would get a 1–1 draw in Jamaica, while the United States would regain the first place after a "Dos a Cero" (2–0) victory over Mexico in Columbus.

[68] Some minutes after their respective matches ended, both Americans and Costa Ricans would qualify to the 2014 FIFA World Cup as Honduras and Panama drew in Tegucigalpa.

[69] American media refer to the game as Snow Clasico,[70][71] evoking the "El Clásico" name used for matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as numerous rivalries throughout the globe.

"[72] CRHoy's Adrián Mendoza has pointed that the United States Soccer Federation often uses pictures from the Snow Clasico to promote future matches against Costa Rica.

After qualifying to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Jorge Luis Pinto admitted his players showed a change in their attitudes after the match, which he described as "the worst rudeness I have ever seen in football.

[76][6] Guatemalan magazine ContraPoder echoed this view, stating that Costa Rica's performance at the World Cup was a butterfly effect "unleashed when a snowflake fell on the pitch of the Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

[78] Costa Rica played a key role in that elimination, as a heavy 4–0 win over the United States resulted in Jürgen Klinsmann being sacked and replaced by Bruce Arena.

[79][80] With Arena as coach, the Americans achieved a 14-match unbeaten run (which included winning the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup),[81] but, in a similar fashion to their 2013 streak under Klinsmann, they were once again stopped by the Costa Ricans in September after an unexpected 0–2 defeat in New Jersey,[82] the first time Costa Rica defeated the United States at a World Cup qualifying match in American soil since 1985.